The Hong Kong Immigration Department has made it clear that it is currently refusing applications/application visa renewals from Indian workers and other foreign immigrants who have changed their contracts too much without any legitimate reason.

In a statement released at the start of September, the Hong Kong Immigration Department said that they believed some foreign workers (mostly those who worked in the domestic industry) were switching jobs regularly without a valid reason to earn severance pay for their termination before their two-year work visa expired. This way, they could get another job elsewhere and earn additional funds on top of their severance payment from the company they initially held their contract with.

In the last two months, the Department of Immigration in Hong Kong has rejected 45 applicants from all over the world who they believe have tried to take advantage of the system by gaining 'unfair' severance pay.

Questions over renewal of existing work permits

The Hong Kong Immigration Department has now made it abundantly clear that if they feel an employer has exploited their workers they will be denied further visa applications in the future. They also made it obvious that if they feel potential employees have taken part in this 'scam' they will not be issued with a new work visa for Hong Kong or a renewal on their existing work visa.

The chairman of the Hong Kong Employers of Domestic Helpers Association, Joseph Law, believes that some domestic workers may have struck deals with employment agencies to terminate their contracts at some point before it is due to be looked at again. This way, they would receive severance pay and find another job under the same agency. The benefit to the agency would be that they earn additional commission for finding a person with a working visa a new role.

Hong Kong Immigration to clarify laws

The Hong Kong Department of Immigration will shortly make the changes that they are currently applying clearer than they are at the moment. According to Joseph Law, the department will state how many changes will be deemed as "abuse of the system". However, for now, he has said that when a foreign worker has changed jobs without any legitimate reason, the department could instantly stop the Employment Visa. Without this visa, the person would essentially become an illegal immigrant as they would have no official reason to be in the country.